Everything Burns
by MistressGreyback
Summary: Spoilers: FF is set after Revealed. The White Bull has sent his 'companion' to the House of Night and Neferet's impatience gets the better of her. When the new red fledgling is discovered to be a Raven Mocker, suspicion falls on Kalona. Some people just want to watch the world burn and Wren plans on claiming the world for Darkness starting with the vampyres at the House of Night.
1. It Started With A Whisper

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear! Review pretty please.

**Everything Burns**  
Chapter 1: It Started With A Whisper

**Wren**

'She's getting stronger.' Wren watched as Neferet walked away from the church. Her wings stretched out, she glanced at the white bull. 'You gave her too many chances.'  
'She surprises me,' the bull responded.  
The girl snorted and kicked a small stone off the roof. 'She's reckless, if she's going to kill at least do it discreetly. She smells bad.'  
'She smells of blood and Darkness.' The white bull snorted and pawed the ground restlessly, 'We shall see what happens next. Why did you join me and not him?'  
'He's boring, all he wants to do is pine after stupid girls. He pined after Nyx, now he pines after the stupid Native. At least you know how to have fun.'  
'You truly are his daughter.'  
'He allowed that whore to take his power from him, he's lost his way.' Wren crossed her arms, leaning against the bull. Her body hummed with Darkness. She looked about sixteen, maybe sixteen and a half but she was far older. 'Once it's finished, can I have her, the False One?'  
His body trembled with laughter as he lowered his head. His horns gave the child leverage to climb on his back as he sank into the shadows. The time of Darkness was nearly here, and Old Magick. The vampyres had no idea what they were bringing back, even the Redbird child. She'd lashed out in anger, killed the two men; now she was out of the way. Wren giggled as they moved through the shadows, she could have told them all the price they'd pay for messing with Old Magick. It was older than Thanatos for petes sake, and she was really old.  
'What is so funny?' The bull grunted.  
'Old ways are back, and old days are coming. I'm going to have some fun.'  
'Try not to get caught.'  
She pretended to look shocked, putting her hands on her hips as she soared up through the concrete, her wings propelling her high. 'I'm going to play with the False One.'  
'Wren. Stay away from her, you misjudge her strength.'  
'Well you gave it to her,' she blew raspberries. 'Bye Ham.' And he could take it away too, didn't matter what the False One thought, her power still belonged to the Bull. Neferet had caused more trouble than she was worth, but Ham was curious. The look in his eyes said it all, he found his toy intriguing. As long as the False One stayed a toy and didn't become Mrs Bull, she didn't care. Stupid vampyres with their stupid bodies, maybe she could find one to borrow.

**Zoey**

They'd put her in an interrogation room, even though she'd already confessed. Fair enough, official record and everything. It still echoed in her mind, replaying it over in her head. It had been her emotions, but the Seer Stone had used them. What else was it capable of? She'd given it to Aphrodite, . That thing was powerful and Sgiach hadn't exactly given her a users manual. Heck, even Thanatos was probably afraid of it now.  
'I deserve this . . .' she murmured to herself.  
'Stupid girl, just like her stupid teacher. Stop playing with old things, it doesn't belong to you.'  
'Shut up!' Zoey snapped at the girl leaning against the wall. Freak with wings, oh God, now she was hallucinating.  
'Oh no.' Wren clenched a fist, how the hell did she possess someone? She'd never really thought about it before. As a spirit, she'd just hung around with Ham and watched the world pass by. It had been pretty boring, until the False One had come along. So how to possess someone, just walk into her? No, it couldn't be that easy. Probably had to kick their spirit out first, and she'd played with humans long enough to know how to do that. 'This is going to hurt, and you'll be out of your body for a while. I just need to borrow it.'  
'Who are you, better yet, what are you?'  
'I'm someone who -'

**Wren**

The black tendrils swarmed up her leg, pulling her down through the floor. Wren could just make out the sun as they resurfaced inside the church. There was blood everywhere, the bodies discarded like the trash they were. 'No!' Her wings snapped out, 'I was about to -'  
'Possess her and kill the heartless one. You forget child, you are of Darkness, I can always see what is in your heart.'  
'I don't have a heart, I don't even have a body! The Raven Mockers, they have . . .'  
'They are dead,' the bull snarled. He pressed his horns against her, eyes piercing her spirit. 'Would you like to be dead, alone? I allowed you as my companion because you amuse me. It seems the amusement is coming to an end.'  
'I just want to show that stupid loser what real power is!' Wren clenched her fists, wings stroking the floor. 'She thinks this is power? She doesn't know the meaning of the word.'  
'My power, child. All Darkness comes from me.' His voice boomed, shaking the church.  
'Not the inside stuff,' Wren snapped. 'Rage and hate and anger. That's a byproduct of Darkness. That's my power.'  
The bull snorted, horn brushing against her stomach. 'If you wish to have a temporary body, then I will give you one. But only for a few hours, no longer.'  
'Why?'  
'So you can realise how fickle they are. You are a spirit, not a human or vampyre. Just because it feels good does not mean it is good for you.'  
Wren looked down, the tendrils of Darkness wrapped around her. She could feel the warm blood, the air against her face. Ugh, the smell. She crinkled her nose, it made no sense how vampyres could like the stuff. She blinked, where was - 'I can't see you, Ham. How did you do it?'  
'Simple. I am Ham. You have until the sun rises, then you will be ripped from your body. You can still pass through the shadows, cloak yourself in Darkness, but do not challenge the heartless one. She will kill you in an instant and you will be beyond my reach.'  
'Nothing is beyond your reach.'  
'The spirit realm is.'  
Well that sucked. 'Fine. Can I at least blend in, make me look like a vampyre? The Redbird won't talk to a human.'  
'I will hide your wings, now close your eyes.' The bull pressed his muzzle to her shoulder, tendrils wrapped around her and formed tattoos. A black crescent in the middle of her head, turned-down horns stretched from her forehead and ran down her face. The tattoos spread over her body, a wing pattern formed on her back. 'Now go. Teach the Native what real power is, but do not draw the attention of the heartless one. She may sense you, if she does, I will be waiting here for your return.'  
Wren stared at her hands. Actual hands. She nodded and sank into the floor, so much for just possessing the Redbird's body. But this was better, a body of her own. 'I still can't see you.'  
'Close your eyes, reach out.'  
Wren did what he told her, arms stretched out. Something - She could feel hair, cold and bristly. Her hand moved up slightly and there was something hard and smooth. She opened her eyes, Ham was manifest. His horns were longer than they looked, pure white and deadly. 'You look better in this world.'  
He chuckled. 'Go have your fun, but only til midday. There's a storm coming.


	2. In The Flames We Find Our Freedom

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear.

**Everything Burns  
**Chapter 2: In The Flames We Find Our Freedom

**Zoey**

'This is going to be a long process, Zoey.'  
'That girl from before -'  
'Zoey, no one's come in here since you arrived. You sure it wasn't a vampyre thing?'  
'I'm not sure. I take full responsibility, whatever the punishment is . . .'  
'I'm sorry. Aphrodite posted your bail, so you can leave whenever you're ready.'  
Zoey nodded hesitantly. The sun was out, and the only thing she could think about was food. Her stomach rumbled, Zoey followed Det. Marx out to the reception room. There was someone sitting in a hoodie, probably waiting for someone to fill out the paperwork for their arrest. The hooded figure looked at Detective Marx, whatever he was seeing, it wasn't the hoodie.  
'I'll take her back.'  
'Thanks Sergeant.'  
'Who are you?' Zoey said as the hoodie led her out of the station. 'You're not a cop.'  
'It's me.' Wren pulled the hood back, she'd taken the clothes from some of the dead people. They were covered in blood, but apparently humans liked to cover themselves up in useless clothing. 'Call me Pineapple.'  
'Pine -' Tattoo. Black, but she had tattoos nonetheless. 'You're a vampire.'  
'It's a disguise.'  
'Oh. I'm -'  
'Zoey Redbird, you're the one meant to destroy the False One.'  
'The False One? You mean -'  
'Names have power. Plus, she may be able to sense me.'  
Names were more than just words, they were a part of you. Give someone your name and you gave them control, it was why she'd started calling herself Wren and why she called the white bull Ham. Calling him 'Beef' drew attention to who she was talking to. Ham called it hiding in plain sight, especially with the false one lurking around. Sure, he was Darkness but with people like . . . her lurking around, there was no sense in handing her more power.  
'Sense you, what are you?'  
'Spirit made flesh. Temporarily. I have until midday, which is three hours away, then I become spirit again.'  
'But I saw you before, with wings.'  
'You died, went to the spirit realm. Gives you a link, so you can see me. Just don't tell Thanatos or Kalona. They can't be trusted. Thanatos wants the old days back and that means things will rise.'  
'Things?'  
Zoey heard Wren's stomach rumble. 'Do you want to get something to eat?'  
'Food, yes, you need food to keep you alive. I keep forgetting.'  
'Have you always been a spirit?'  
'Yes. I was born one.'  
'How can you be . . .'  
Raven Mocker, oh hell. She was a Raven Mocker, so why was she alive? Most of them had died after Kalona had gotten his butt kicked. 'You should be dead, permanently, Mocker.'  
'I swore my allegiance to a different person. Would you blame me? I did not choose this existence. I was given a choice, and I chose to stay a spirit. Kalona's corruption could not touch me.' She could smell it all, feel the wind in her hair. Wren looked down, a tendril tugged on her finger. What is it? She tilted her head, there was Darkness lurking around. Power. She nodded her head, she could taste it. Honey, and Heat. Something else as well. Spice. Power.  
'Move.'  
'What?' Zoey stumbled as Wren shoved her. The Mocker grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her. 'Where are we going?'  
'She's on the loose. Already slaughtered all the people in the Church. Thinks she controls Darkness, wait til she can't keep it loyal.'  
'What do you know about Darkness?'  
'I'm a bored spirit, what do you think I've been doing? Playing checkers? I watch and listen. Stephen King was a prophet, he dreamt of a town burning. Turned it into a book. He just didn't know what he was seeing.'  
'She's going to raze Tulsa to the ground.'  
Wren shoved Zoey into a shadow. Ham had said not to confront her, to run back to the Church. Problem was, in a solid body, she couldn't run fast enough. Ham had used Darkness to make her a body, surely Wren could use it to tweak her appearance. She felt it wrap around her, her hair turned thick and black. The tattoos turned sapphire blue. She couldn't change her voice, but she could lead the bitch away from Zoey.

**Wren**

'Hello, Zoeybird.'  
Stupid psycho. What the hell was she doing? 'You can climb out once she's gone.' Wren muttered to Zoey. Wren turned and ran, legs aching almost instantly. No wonder they died so easy, their bodies were weak. Wren sprinted, gasping for air. Neferet was coming, she could feel the tendrils reaching out. Except they didn't grab her legs, they merged. Bet the crazy woman wasn't expecting that.  
'Come here, Zoeybird.' Her voice was like Darkness. Smooth and seductive, but Wren knew all the tricks.  
Something was wrong. The Darkness should have cut into her, pulled her down. Neferet forced her way into 'Zoey's' mind. Nothing, it was like a hole, a void. Just an image. The church. Well, they'd meet there then. She was a goddess, to be feared and worshipped. Her Armani dress fitted perfectly. A shame it would be covered in the fledgling's blood by the end. The church wasn't far, and then she would take what was rightfully hers.  
Wren pushed the doors open, collapsing as she got to the altar. 'You said don't draw her attention, but I couldn't let her kill the girl.'  
'Now you know why we do not play their games.' He stamped his hoof, the ground shaking. 'Do not disobey me again, little one.'  
'I'm sorry, I'm just like him aren't I?'  
'No little one, you are stronger than him. He thought to gain everything and pay nothing, now he has learned his lesson and you have learned yours.'  
The doors were thrown open and Neferet walked in. Wren gulped, watching the Darkness that had formed her false body merge back into Ham. Thank you, she breathed. She couldn't feel anything, just the way she liked it.

**Neferet**

She'd just disappeared! That wasn't possible, so why could Neferet sense another presence? Powerful, stronger than her. Nyx? Why would the goddess be there and not do anything. Where was Zoey?  
The ground shook violently as he snorted, lowering his head. 'Let us leave this place, little bird.' He lifted his head as she settled on his back. 'The Darkness will claim her eventually, and when she does . . .' His body shook as he chuckled, walking towards Neferet. 'Little bird?' She stretched her wings out, watching her wing pass through the false one. Neferet shivered, gasping and clutching at her chest.  
It was like something had been ripped out of her. She could see the tendrils of Darkness falling away, like something was there tearing them from her.  
'My lord?'  
Neferet dropped to her knees.  
'She will see you.' The white bull reared his head.  
'What have I to be jealous of? She's going to die,' Wren smirked.  
He chuckled, fetid yet sweet breath filling the air. Neferet looked up, the white bull had manifested . . . and a winged child on his back. Who was she to mount him, some little slut that had sold her soul to him. The white bull stepped forward, the girl's wings sweeping the bodies out of the way. So she was a slave then. 'Clean my dress while you're at it,' Neferet snapped.  
The girl laughed. Neferet stood, 'You dare laugh at me?'  
'I'm laughing at the situation. You will die and I'll be sitting here, laughing still.'  
'You address me, a goddess, like I'm a petulant child!' Neferet glared at the girl.  
'Are you jealous, my heartless one?' His breath encompassed her, the dress seemed to shrink at the point of contact when the bull touched her. His pitch black eyes watched her, waiting for her to whine. 'Well? My patience is at its limits. Speak, heartless one.'  
'No, my lord.' She almost recoiled, his voice inside her head made her tremble. Power, strength, everything she needed and he was playing favourites. His horns shimmered like opals. Why did he treat her like she was a child, like she hadn't given him everything? He'd severed ties with her, allowed her to keep the Darkness that chose to stay because she fed it. Yet one swoop of that girl's wings and the darkness clung to her, feeding off the blood on the floor. What was she, part of Darkness himself, or his Consort? Had some other young wannabe priestess given herself to him?  
'Well this was exciting, I think I'll call you Cheese.' She could hear him laugh in her head. Wren jumped from his back, 'You break under pressure and smell bad.' The white bull snorted, his hooves sparked as he sidestepped Neferet.  
The tendrils shot from around Neferet, lunging at Wren. Her right wing swept out and the tendrils were thrown to the side. Wren's eyes turned black, tendrils wrapped around Neferet's legs and pulled her down; tearing at her skin with their teeth. 'Now, you're Swiss Cheese.'  
Neferet stared up at her, heart pounding. 'I will not be beaten by a child.'  
'I'm twice as old as you, so give up. You forsook Darkness, he gave you a chance. Go home, Swiss, you're just a whiny brat trying to play with the grownups.'  
That was surprising. He'd thought Neferet would have realised she was just a spirit, that the little bird could not be harmed. The little bird had harnessed her inner Darkness and given Neferet a wakeup call. She was still amusing him after all these years, what had it been, four hundred plus? The surprise was that Neferet had been beaten at her own game, by a 'petulant child.'  
'How did you do that?' Neferet shuddered.  
'I was born from Darkness.' Wren said to Neferet. 'It /would/ be interesting, to become a vampyre, and they would never suspect it,' she thought.  
'What are you suggesting, little bird?' His voice echoed in her mind.  
She approached the white bull with a grin on her face. 'Chaos. Break the black bull.' She glanced back at Neferet getting to her knees, 'I could possess her body, they'd never suspect. Beg for mercy, they'd have to take her in. Crush Order from the inside out. She's weak and pathetic, can't even stand up to me so how would she stand up to Redbird? Or . . . I play her daughter.'

The bull turned, glancing between her and Neferet. His white coat gleamed as Wren hugged him, hanging off him like a monkey. 'It would be interesting.' He walked towards Neferet. 'You will pretend to be her mother, her name is Serenity or 'Wren' for short. Seeing as you could not even defeat a child in combat, she will help you capture the Redbird girl. This is not a suggestion.'  
'My daughter.' Neferet smiled weakly at the girl. 'I've missed you.'  
'This . . . unconventional sacrifice will do, but I require something further.' The white bull stood over Neferet, 'Your blood for her body.'  
'You're a spirit.' Neferet's jaw dropped. 'That is why I couldn't harm you, you have no body.'  
'She really is Swiss Cheese.'


	3. Take The Wheel And Turn It Around

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear.

**Everything Burns  
**Chapter 3: Take The Wheel And Turn It Around

A daughter, who would believe she had a daughter? Yet Neferet conceded, the white bull was right. He was always right. If she had used a perfect sacrifice, then it never would have gotten to this point. Aurox would have done his job and she would have wiped out the Vampyre Council. This spirit, this child . . . Who was she? Twice as old as Neferet herself and born of Darkness. What did that even mean, to be born of Darkness?

**Wren**

'This body will be temporary, but you must satiate it with blood like any other fledgling. You will feel things, but remember your ultimate goal. Gain the Redbird's trust. Steer away from Kalona and his sons, you cannot be found out.'  
The white bull lowered his head, feeling the new fledgling's nail cut into his neck. His blood wasn't so much blood as ichor, thick and viscous and black. She latched on and she drank. Her hands dug into his back, the massive bull's horns supporting the fledgling's body. She moaned, collapsing against his horns.  
'I take it back, I like physical.' She stared him in the eyes, refusing to speak aloud. 'You taste like fire.' He rumbled with laughter, the bull raised his head and lifted her. 'What if . . . She intervenes?'  
'Speak plainly little bird.'  
'If I end up being trapped in this body, no wings, no power. Drinking blood til the end of my days. Dying in this body.'  
'That is the chance you will take.'  
'I am not talking about chances. What if the black bull is called? He will know me, and my father.'  
'You are Darkness, you cannot be trapped. I will simply call you to me. The body is not a true body, just blood and Darkness to form one, and you are part of me.'  
Her heart pounded against her rib cage, the red crescent in the middle of her head surrounded by two curled bulls horns. Wren closed her eyes, the blood squelched under her feet as she walked towards the door. It was just on dusk now, so she could go outside. He'd told her to go to the park if she needed him, or any open area. Neferet'd said there was a basement at the school, that she could hide in there. Neferet looked like a real Tsi Sgili, blood smeared on her face over her tattoos. The woman held out her wrist as she looked at the spirit-turned-fledgling, what if this didn't work? The white bull and the little bird were so sure, but Neferet had her doubts. Still, it didn't hurt to try.  
'Mess this up and even he won't be able to save you,' Neferet seethed with hate.  
'A so-called goddess, beaten by a child. Who would've thought?' Wren hissed before she sliced Neferet's wrist open and latched on. Neferet had actual blood, disgusting red blood. Her body seemed to like it, but she didn't. She was a spirit, not a vampyre. If she'd been meant to have been born one, it would have happened. Fate and destiny were bigger than Nyx and Erebus, free will was a means to an end. Humanity's delusion. 'You'd better pray to yourself that this works, or I'll go back to plan A, ripping you out of your body and taking control.'  
So that was what 'born of Darkness' meant. The little bird had no hatred of Zoey or any of the others, she just wanted Chaos. Darkness. No rules, no law, just anarchy and freedom and the white bull did not refuse her. She was truly born of Darkness, it explained why she'd been unhurt by the tendrils. Besides the fact she had no physical body, the spirit girl was wholeheartedly and purely aligned with the white bull. Neferet was in it for person gain, to be worshipped and feared. What was the line from that movie? 'Some people just want to watch the world burn.' That was the girl.  
'And you, little bird,' Neferet mocked, 'had better hope you don't get caught. Thanatos will kill you if she discovers your alignment.' She wasn't going to give away the surprise, that Stevie Rae could see Darkness. Let the stupid bird talk her way out of that one. If the girl failed and went back to 'Plan A,' then Neferet wouldn't last long. Not without a body. She'd be driven insane without it.  
'And so it begins,' the white bull mused.

**House of Night**

'Darius, get Zoey.' Aphrodite shivered, clutching the sheets to her chest. A fledgling, rising from the blood. So much blood, so much pain. She gulped, Neferet had just waltzed in and massacred them all. She'd had the vision of the white bull again, crushing the black bull beneath him as he stood on top of the world. It was the same vision she'd had before Zoey had pulled herself together. Her human body was still trying to adjust, she could walk in daylight now, go shopping. So why did she feel like there was something else? Rephaim would be finding his way back to Stevie Rae. The Raven-Mocker-turned-boy had been aligned with Darkness because of his father, so why did it feel like something else was coming?

Zoey stared up at the statue of Nyx, she just needed some advice. The spirit had saved her from Neferet, but why? They were both aligned with the white bull, both from Darkness. Maybe it would end up being like Rephaim, or Aurox. A Vessel.  
'Hello, U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya,' Nyx smiled.  
'Nyx!' Zoey almost flinched, the goddess' unearthly glow was blinding. She felt something cold and wet pull on her hand, what - she looked down, there was nothing. 'I met one of Kalona's children. A girl.'  
'And you felt a connection?'  
'She's not like the others, she's like Rephaim, I think she just wants to exist and be loved.'  
'Everyone has a choice, even if they are born of Darkness.' Nyx tilted her head, 'There are always doors opening, you never know what may walk through them.' The goddess smiled. 'Neferet has made her choices, the final battle nears. I cannot tell you what will happen, but you will need all the allies you have.'  
Zoey nodded. 'Neferet's getting stronger, what if she does win?'  
'Then the world will fall to Darkness.'  
'The world has fallen, you just don't know it yet,' Wren winced. She limped forwards, watching the vampyre goddess and her priestess. 'Tell your boyfriend to stop harassing his brother.'  
'You -' Zoey stepped back.  
'You made the rules. You gave them free will, yet Erebus turns up trying to influence Kalona.'  
'Little bird.' Nyx's eyes went from gentle to harsh in a split second as the girl got in her face. 'You speak falsely.'  
'So ask him, and tell your boyfriend to stay away from my father,' Wren met the goddess' gaze. She clenched her fists, tendrils of Darkness wrapping around her arms.  
'You do not command me, child.'  
Wren smirked, 'No, but I belong to him. I may be in a vessel, but it's of his creation. You are a Goddess, but when faced with your own truth, you deny it. That makes you no better than the False One.'  
'Be careful how you speak next, I could trap you in that vessel permanently.'  
'You could try.'  
'Blessed be, Zoeybird,' the Goddess' voice echoed on the wind.  
Her heart was pounding, slamming against her rib cage. Damn it felt good to stand up to that pretentious bitch. Wren watched the Goddess fade into the night sky. Heh, Wren brought out the worst in everyone. 'What? She needed a reality check, I'm not afraid of her.'  
'You're the girl from before.'  
'Different body, same spirit. Hi Zoey, or is it Z?'  
Zoey studied her. 'You're a red fledgling. How?'  
'Blood, Darkness, but she's right. She could trap me in this form, then I'd die and end up moving onto the Otherworld. That would suck.'

Darkness. Thanatos looked up from her desk. She could feel the bull's influence. Had another red fledgling arrived, or was he manifest? She stood, looking out the window. Zoey was outside, talking to another student. 'Kalona? Assemble the Sons,' Thanatos ordered.  
'Yes, High Priestess.'  
Thanatos walked out into the corridor, who was the mysterious student? Unless she leg another one of the fledgling's from the tunnels. Most of them stayed in the tunnels during the day, arriving at night to attend classes. She hesitated, it seemed Zoey had a handle on the situation. If the girl was new, she'd be terrified.  
'Kalona?'  
'Yes?'  
'Cancel that last request.'  
The trackers knew what they were doing, she had to trust them to do their jobs. She had to trust Kalona to do his job as her Warrior as well. He'd turned from the Darkness, they'd seen it first hand. When the day came, she would not hesitate to call on him. Until the white bull and Neferet had been defeated, there would always be danger. She could feel darkness and death walking across the courtyard and into the dormitory building. Neferet? No, the presence was weak but it was there.

'This is my room, if you need anything, just ask. You can share Aphrodite's room.'  
'No, she's not sharing my room,' Aphrodite stuck her head out into the corridor, 'Get your own room, loser.'  
'Screw you,' Wren snapped. 'Though I would take that fine piece of man, and maybe your closet. Momma always said the pretty bitches were the poorest. Shame half your shit's outdated.'  
'Excuse me? Outdated?'  
Wren turned and winked at Zoey. She could handle this, especially the human. Maybe watching mankind for five hundred years was paying off. 'Well obviously you don't pay attention to the runways. Black? That died with the neanderthals.'  
'You have taste.'  
'And unlimited credit.'  
Wow, humans were really easy to fool. Blonde and stupid, just like her mother and Neferet. Wren walked into the room and stretched out on the bed. So, she had a boyfriend. She could smell his scent all over the room, and something else, it was a strange smell. Like fire and heat, like what she felt when she drank from Ham. It was intoxicating, she wanted to taste it, whatever it was.  
'You alright?'  
'Something smells . . . good.'  
'Well don't look at me, you're the vampyre.'  
'I was only Marked today.'  
'So you really are a fledgling.' Aphrodite pushed the door shut and locked it. ' Now cut the bullshit. Who are you? Those Marks are horns, any idiot can see that, which means you're either special to Nyx, or you're evil.'  
'Please,' she looked at the door. 'I can't breathe, I can't -' Wren pushed on the door handle. She had to get out, get to the courtyard. She needed air, sky, open air around her. 'Let me out!' She pounded on the door, 'Zoey!'  
'Oh for Christ's sake. Cut the act,' Aphrodite snapped.  
She looked at the window, breathing heavily. Wren ran at the window and jumped, landing on all fours as she righted herself and ran for the fountain. This was too much, being in this body was too much. She sat on the edge of the fountain, dipping her hand in. Cool, calm nothing. Water, silent and perfect. She closed her eyes, trying to still her mind. She could hear everything, smell everything. Even his breath over her shoulder.  
'You are wasting time, little bird.'  
'I am trying to gain their trust.'  
The vessel walked out of one of the buildings, his white hair was down to his jaw. Muscles strained against his clothes as he put his fist over his heart and bowed. Wren averted her eyes, oh goddess, if that was his idea of an vessel then count her in. She watched him sit, pain shot through her stomach. She was hungry, and goddess did he smell good. He nodded, taking her hand and pressing her nail to his neck. The ichor surfaced, he had no solid heartbeat so the 'blood' didn't move. She covered the cut with her mouth, groaning as she lapped at his vessel like a cat.  
'Shh,' he murmured. 'They are watching.'  
'Who?'  
'Death, and your father.'


	4. Start The Fire And Ignite

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear.

**Everything Burns  
**Chapter 4: Start The Fire And Ignite

**House of Night**

Thanatos watched in silence, the warrior and fledgling sitting at the fountain. There was something odd about the both of them, the one with the Mark that looked like the snakes had an air of power about him. The horned fledgling stood, walking away. She wore Darkness like a blanket, it wrapped around her like a shield. She heard footsteps, Death glanced over her shoulder. Kalona stared down at the fledgling, such sympathy in his eyes. He watched as the girl's clothes seemed to split, wings growing from her shoulder blades.  
The fledgling collapsed, fists striking the ground. Her feathers were sharp like razor blades as she seemed to cut into the ground with her wings. Kalona could see the - covering her, the tendrils didn't feed from her like they did Neferet. They merged with her, becoming part of her. The fledgling looked straight at the statue of Nyx outside the temple, nothing but hatred in her eyes.  
'This world will fall, and there's nothing your vampyres can do about it.'  
She seemed to almost shake off her body, flesh becoming black and red. Darkness did not obey him anymore since he'd chosen his path. Kalona waited and watched, his wings folded against his bare back. He'd been a fool not to recognise a Raven Mocker in the flesh. He blinked and she was normal again, sitting on the fountain with the warrior. Kalona knew all his warriors, and the vampyre did not belong there. He also recognised Darkness, and both the fledgling and warrior danced with it.  
'Drink, little bird.'  
Fire and ice, burning its way through her. Wren moaned, no wonder vampyres fed. It was like your nerves had been shot up with heroine, so high you'd never come down. She lapped at his neck, whatever she was drinking, it was definitely not normal blood. She didn't care, it was better, smelt better. Tasted abso-fucking-lutely wonderful. Her vessel's heart pounded as she glanced up. Kalona was gone from the window. Shit. Where was he?  
'Kalona is gone.'  
'He is coming down the stairs, do not worry.'  
Thick and wonderful. She wanted to tear his throat open, drain him of every last - Wren shot up off the fountain. Savage. It was wrong, this vessel was alive in one sense, it had instincts. She'd watched the red ones in the tunnels, they loved to kill, loved to devour. Had the goddess done something to the vessel? There were no cracks in it, no sacrifice had been required to make it. Maybe it was the Raven Mocker coming out in her. They'd loved senseless violence, singing that stupid song for years and years. Had Nyx done something to her? Or worse, the Native.

**Zoey**

'She's covered in Darkness, Zoey, it's like she's made from it. It clings to her, like with Neferet, except she's not feeding it her blood.'  
'Stevie Rae? I need you to hear this and tell no one, not Thanatos and especially not Rephaim or Kalona.'  
'I promise, Z. I swear on my Mama.'  
'I met her when I was at the station, she didn't have a body then. She's a spirit in a vessel, kinda like Aurox. Except for one thing, she's a uh, she's a Raven Mocker.'  
'She doesn't look like one.'  
'I think she serves the white bull, not Neferet. When Neferet came, she made herself look like me and ran. She put me in a shadow, led Neferet away. Nyx said she was born of Darkness, but I don't know what that means.'  
'What if it's just a ruse? Gain your trust. She's here isn't she?'  
'Except she came here willingly, a vessel was made -'  
'By the white bull. You know how powerful he is, I summoned him and he . . . it's like all the evil in the world and hate and darkness in one creature, and she works for him.' Stevie Rae moved to the window and looked up, Rephaim was standing on the roof like an avenging angel. She looked down, the spirit fledgling girl sat on the fountain. Head tilted to the side, staring at something in the building opposite her. A sword began forming in her hand from Darkness, long and wicked sharp. Born of Darkness . . . whatever that meant, it wasn't good.  
'Rephaim, don't let her hurt him.'  
'Wait, what's she -'  
'Kalona just walked outside, she made herself a sword. You said she's a Raven Mocker, so why doesn't she look like one?'  
'Free will. She chose to defy him, to join the white bull, so what she called Kalona's corruption couldn't touch her. Maybe that's why she looks normal.' Zoey moved near the window, 'Spirit, help Kalona see her for what she really is,' she murmured.  
Darkness. Thanatos stood and moved to the window, there was no doubt, Darkness was here and that fledgling carried it with her. She didn't carry Neferet's mark but the white bull's, the power was different, stronger. Neferet's power seemed corrupt in a way, the bull's power was pure. There was no sacrifice needed, no blood or death in order to use it. Kalona would have a fighter on his hands that wasn't going down easy.  
She would have to intervene before they killed each other, but she was curious to see Nyx's former Guardian and the white bull's servant fight.  
'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,' she murmured. Wren walked towards Nyx's temple, the sword melting back into her leg. The false one was coming, and Wren didn't want to be around when she arrived. She walked towards the altar where the five candles burned, what was she doing - praying to a goddess she hated? Not so much hated as didn't understand, but maybe she wasn't meant to understand.

**Kalona  
**  
'You defile her temple?' Kalona seethed, sword drawn.  
'You said everyone has a choice, but it doesn't feel like it.' Wren murmured, lowering herself to her knees. 'You could destroy the false one with one finger, but instead you sit and you watch. Why would you allow her to slaughter those people? You would watch the world burn and do nothing, and that's how it will end if Neferet has her way. You let me run rampant when you could trap me in this body and end it before it begins.'  
She was praying to Nyx, as if she actually believed in the Goddess, like she deserved to get an answer. Kalona snapped his wings, the cracking sound catching her attention. She looked over her shoulder then back at the statue, the statue's arms outstretched as if ready to embrace them.  
'You do not belong here, Raven Mocker.'  
'Do not talk to me.'  
'You are a spirit, not a girl. You shouldn't be in that vessel and you should not be near A-ya.'  
Stop talking, she begged. Just shut up. Wren closed her eyes, sandwiching her hands under her legs. This was a temple, not a battleground. Time was running out, the false one would eventually arrive and she would be forced to take a side. Nyx talked of free will, but all that came of it was death and destruction. He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her to her feet. Kalona dragged her towards the entrance, throwing her against the wall.  
'Why do you serve Neferet?'  
'I don't! I plan to destroy the false one, she claims to be a goddess but she is not. Nyx is the only true Goddess,' Wren kicked him hard and shoved him back. Her lips curled back as she snarled, maybe she'd let the vessel's instincts take over. Rip his throat open and feast. Sure, she was a Raven Mocker but the vessel was a red vampyre, and it was hungry. 'Get out, before I make you a spirit.'  
'You would threaten me? I am your -'  
She punched him and walked out, hands shaking in her pockets. You are nothing, she walked towards the dining hall. The vessel was hungry, she had to remember to feed it. Having a physical body . . . She could actually interact with things. Punch people like Kalona. Wren looked up, meeting Thanatos' gaze. Thanatos stared back, the old vampyre refusing to break first.  
'The High Priestess wishes to speak with you,' Kalona put a hand on her shoulder. 'Do not resist.'  
'Remove your hand.'  
He squeezed tighter. 'Walk.'  
'Why do you serve her?'  
'I swore an oath,' he said blankly.  
'You swore an oath to the Goddess and you broke it, why would you keep this one?' Wren felt his grip lessen. Cling to him, she silently ordered the Darkness around her. Reclaim him. She watched the tendrils slide over his wings, clinging to the feathers. He was no longer immortal, and that meant he could be controlled. Death had sway over him, but the promise of immortality, of power - she knew what he would choose. 'You're missing a piece of your soul.'  
'Be silent.'  
'Funny, the mortal becomes immortal and the immortal becomes mortal.'  
Kalona dug his fingers into her shoulder, now if only there was a permanent way to shut her up. He winced, there was a weight on his shoulders and it had become heavier. He looked over his shoulders, but there was nothing there. His wings looked normal, folded against his back.  
'Where are your wings?' He looked at the Raven Mocker.  
'This vessel does not have wings. You trafficked with Darkness, you know what it entails, you were the one who whispered to Neferet.'  
'The past is the past. I did not know what she would become.'  
'If you could whisper in her head, you should have read it first.'  
Kalona walked into Thanatos' office second, forcing Wren inside first. 'The Raven Mocker.'  
'You gave the power of Darkness to a power hungry bitch. What did you think would happen?' Wren narrowed her eyes. 'Now she's immortal.'  
'Immortality does not mean invincible,' Thanatos said. 'Sit.'  
'If your goon will let me. Doesn't exactly seem loyal, all that Darkness leeching off him. Maybe Neferet's whispering again.' Wren looked at Kalona, 'Gotta be something wrong with him if it's returned.'  
'There is nothing wrong with me,' Kalona snapped. The Darkness that clung to his wings formed into a woman and wrapped her arms around Kalona, her mouth moved but no sound came out. 'I feel fine.'  
According to the False One, he'd come crawling back once before, pretending to be on Neferet's side. It wouldn't be too hard to have him flip again, she just had to get inside his head. Neferet wanted to control men, not bulls, and no one could control the white bull.  
'Kalona, leave us, please.'  
'Yes, High Priestess,' he bowed and walked out. The Dark woman followed him, reaching out before dissipating. The Darkness shot forward, coating his wings.  
'Are you done?' Thanatos stood. 'You serve the white bull, I assume you serve Neferet too. Let me guess, you claim to be the Queen Consort of Darkness?'  
'That's disgusting, I'm sixteen.'  
'We both know you're far older than that.'  
'Give or take a couple hundred years,' Wren muttered. She sat, leaning back in the chair. She'd almost mastered Neferet's body language. It wasn't hard to act like the cocky bitch, just had to pretend you were a goddess. Nyx pulled it off pretty well sometimes too. 'What do you want from me, High Priestess?' Wren mock-bowed, fist over her heart.  
'I want you in the Otherworld where you belong. You've been here far too long, child. Long enough to become corrupt, to think you're a Raven Mocker.'  
'I am a Mocker.'  
'That's not what your eyes say. You are called 'little bird,' it's written all over you. You died in -'  
Wren closed her eyes, felt herself drop through the chair. Shadow-walking was easy once you knew how to navigate. You could drop through a shadow in Tulsa and step out into London. She walked out of a wall, looking around the courtyard. Wren cloaked herself in Darkness, becoming invisible. Thanatos was lying, she /was/ a Raven Mocker. Just because had an affinity for Air and Death didn't mean she knew everything. Wren moved, dew collecting on the base of her vessel's feet. She curled her toes, hearing the mud squelch. She bit her lip, forcing herself not to giggle. It was cold and wet, sliding over her feet as she dug her feet into the ground.  
Kalona was missing a piece of his soul, and a soul was kind of like gumbo. Without the right recipe, it tasted wrong. A smile tugged at the vessel's lips, she just had to replace the ingredients piece by piece until Kalona's soul tasted right again.  
Until he'd forgotten all about his precious A-ya.


	5. Everybody's Got A Dark Side

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear.

**Everything Burns  
**Chapter 5: Everybody's Got A Dark Side

**Kalona**

'No, please . . .' The flames licked at his wings, consuming them. Kalona tried to put the flames out but nothing worked, the black flames moved up his arms towards his chest. As the flames attacked from above, the earth attacked from below. The ground rising up to meet him, to trap him once again. Arms wrapped around him, her voice gentle in his ear. 'Shh, my love.'  
'A-ya?'  
'Yes,' she murmured. 'I'm here.'  
'Don't go.' Kalona pleaded, 'Stay with me.'  
'I'll always be with you,' she whispered. 'I'm always near.'  
He closed his eyes, leaning into her arms. A voice called to him from somewhere, had A-ya come back? Welcome to the new age, he thought. 'I missed you.'  
'I had no choice,' she clung to him. 'They took away my free will.'  
Nyx, the goddess should have intervened. The Ghigua women had stripped A-ya of her goddess-given right. Why hadn't Nyx stepped in? He'd deserved his punishment, but they'd punished A-ya for doing nothing. The cycle was repeating itself all over again, Zoey's free will had been stripped the day she'd been born. The Fates had a funny way of showing their power.  
'A-ya,' he sat up in his bed. The fledgling was still there a day later. Thanatos had been keeping her eye on the girl, making sure that she didn't try anything. He refused to let his freedom be taken from him. He'd already lost his immortality, another attack on his spirit and he'd be even weaker. Time had brought them together again, and maybe they'd be reunited. If A-ya was born in a different body, with her own mind, her own soul, maybe things would be different.

**Neferet**

'How long until we can attack, my lord?'  
'Once the time is right, we do not have our new ally yet.'  
'New . . . ally?'  
'I grow bored of your constant questions, my heartless one. You surprised me at the church, and now you have gone back to your old ways.'  
Neferet frowned. How could she surprise him again? If that was what it took to keep his power with her, surely . . . If she could destroy the white bull, take his power as her own. She would become Darkness, and she would be unstoppable. A smile tugged at her lips, he was no longer useful. Preaching about patience and allies. She needed no allies. Her power was her own, she would rule this world and she would share it with no one else.  
Neferet closed her eyes, sinking into the shadows. She would return to the House, claim what was hers. Then she would destroy the Council. She was their Goddess, even if they didn't know it yet.  
The white bull paced in his Vessel, maybe it was time to . . . He tilted his head and discarded his Vessel. A voice was calling to him, summoning him. The morning had just become interesting.

**House of Night**

'Violence against our House will be avenged. Our Goddess is merciful, but she is also just, and all who come against her shall feel her righteous wrath. Let this be your warning and my promise to you—those who stand with the Goddess and me will be protected. Those who come against us will be punished. Tulsa House of Night, make your choice!"  
Thanatos remembered her words, it seemed right. Corruption was deeply set within the school. If they struck first and put an end to it all, the House would survive. Neferet was the biggest threat out there, if they could damage her spirit, then her body would be vulnerable just like Kalona's. But how? She felt nothing, had no family or lovers. If they could dig through Neferet's head, they could find something but it was impossible. Unless they used Kalona, but he'd tried it before. Kalona had to believe that Neferet was his goddess if he wanted to appear truthful, and he never would.  
'I call the white bull of the old ways, to answer my question . . . and make a deal.' He ran the blade across the palm of his hand, kneeling to wipe the blood in a circle around him. The grass tickled him as he stood, 'I call Darkness, to make me strong enough to kill her.'

Her eyes opened, Wren sitting up. Something pulled at her, hauling her out of the dorm room. Nearly all the students were asleep, the sun would rise in half an hour. She blinked, watching her vessel lay on the bed as she floated through the corridor. A voice, calling her. The pull was strong enough to tear her spirit from its vessel. She had no choice but to follow, she could see tendrils crawling across the grass with their teeth bared. So it wasn't just her feeling the draw. A blood sacrifice, that explained the Darkness feeding. The power in the summoning.  
'I summon Darkness, give me the strength to kill her.'  
'You should stop now, before something really bad happens,' Wren watched him. 'Trifling with things you cannot control is a bad idea.'  
'I want to kill Neferet,' the boy said, 'Tell me how.'  
The air went cold, becoming fetid and rotten. The grass burned as his hooves formed, the white bull's body coming into view. The bull snorted, horns raised as he watched the vampyre. 'And what sort of deal do you want to make, young one?'  
'My life for Neferet's. Kill her and bring the body.'  
'That would require more than just your life, young warrior.'  
'I am James Stark, I am a Shaman to my Queen. What do you need then to destroy her?'  
'Your very spirit. To kill an immortal takes not just the physical aspect. You must weaken their spirit before you can destroy their body. That was attempted already, and Neferet has returned. I will take my payment, Shaman, and you will speak nothing of this night.'  
'I didn't plan to.'  
He wanted to scream as the tendrils cut into his legs, feeding. Stark doubled over, almost collapsing. The white bull approached him, it's horn went straight through him. He didn't feel the pain, just a cold sensation through his chest. 'What are you . . .'  
The bull was gone, the only sign was the burned grass. Even the other spirit . . . where was his strength? He'd called Darkness . . . and he'd gotten it. The white bull was Darkness incarnate. It should have made him stronger, yet he felt like he'd been hit by a Mach truck. The bull had gored him, but the impact was not physical.

'He was powerful enough to rip me from my vessel.'  
'He is a Shaman, a connection to the old ways. His power increased when he embraced his ancestors.'  
'He could do it. What if the Redbird is merely the conduit and he is the one who will strike the blow?'  
'Only time will tell, after all, they have free will. He has a choice, whether he makes it to our advantage is not for us to tell. Return to your vessel, little bird, the sun will rise soon and your body does not like being above ground.'  
'I don't want to.'  
'You would defy me?'  
'I'm bored of this. Watching them live in peace, like they are entitled to it. I want Chaos,' she looked around. 'Neferet wants to rule? She can rule this dead wasteland once we're finished.'  
'Patience, little bird. The war has only begun, we cannot play our hand yet.'  
She groaned and turned in a circle. The ground trembled, the white bull standing close to her. 'I can seal you inside the vessel if you do not want to stay willingly.'  
Wren snorted, stepping forward. 'You can try,' she said defiantly. 'I am Darkness, just like you. You do not control me.'  
His body trembled with laughter, the white bull snorted. 'And Darkness comes from Darkness, little bird, now go back to your vessel. That pain is not something you want to feel. Red ones cannot bear the sun, and dawn is nearly here.'  
Knocking.  
Wren blinked as she found herself thrust into her vessel. She sat up, her body ached. 'Who is it?' she called out. No response. She closed her eyes, tendrils stretching out, feeling their way under the door. 'Show me who is out there,' she murmured. The tendrils crawled back into the room, pulsing together to form a mirror image of their guest. Wings, the face . . .  
She tilted her head, climbing from the bed. Wren teased the door open slowly, keeping it quiet. She stepped out into the corridor, staring at the winged man.  
'A-ya?' Kalona said, 'Are you A-ya gone mad?'  
Now the fun part began. 'What are you talking about? Zoey is A-ya.'  
'Part of her, but the rest is in you. It's why you're so insistent that you're a Raven Mocker.'  
'You're talking crazy talk. I need to find somewhere -'  
'A-ya,' he pressed his forehead to hers. 'Please.'  
Oh for crying out loud. This was it? A whining boy who missed his dead girlfriend. Fine, let him have his delusions. If she could get him on their side, to return to Darkness, then Neferet would become a liability. 'I serve the white bull, not the Ghigua any more. Or you.'  
'How could you become so dark?' Kalona placed his hands on her cheeks, 'so corrupt?'  
'They trapped me down there, never to see the sky. They gave me life and then took it away. What do you think happened?' Wren seethed, 'They gave me love and then took it away.'  
'I'm here A-ya, I'm here now.'

**Neferet**

A-ya. She chuckled to herself, smart girl. That was her ally. Turning Kalona, using his memories and past against him. So she wasn't as stupid as she looked. Hmm, maybe this one could be used to destroy the white bull. The bull seemed to trust her. Neferet could use it to her advantage.  
'You've learned well, little bird,' Neferet stood in the shadows behind the pair. 'Now make him go so we can talk.'  
'You should go, before she notices,' Wren murmured, 'I'll be here tonight.'  
'Until tonight,' Kalona walked away. He looked down, Darkness crawled along the floor, wrapping around A-ya's legs. She still belonged to Darkness. Kalona had to break that hold.  
'Why are you here?' Wren winced and discarded her vessel. 'Did he send you?'  
'I have no need for him anymore. But you, you can help me destroy him. You want chaos and he won't let you. Chaos means no rules, no bulls.'  
'No Nyx.'  
'And power, for the both of us.'  
'Who said anything about you?' Wren floated, wings spread. 'But for now, fine.' Traitor. Did Ham even know about her planned betrayal?  
'You will not tell the white bull, or I will tell Kalona what you are.'  
'He wants patience, I want chaos. What do you think?' Insanity. You couldn't just betray Darkness. Darkness was everywhere, hell, Ham was probably listening as they spoke. The shadows bowed to him and no one else, it was his power Neferet had borrowed, and Darkness would always return to itself. Wren floated, her mind ticking over. She couldn't betray Ham, not after all those centuries she'd spent watching the chaos he caused, helping him. 'Kalona would not believe you anyway. He's too in love with Dirt Girl.'


	6. Heart Doth Open

**WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN FOR REVEALED.**

**D/C:** I don't own House of Night, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear.

**Everything Burns  
**Chapter 6: Heart Doth Open  
two days later

**Zoey**  
Zoey sat inside Nyx's Temple, scented candles burned above her on iron chandeliers. A flame danced in a recess in the stone floor, the marble statue of Nyx on the table looked about ready to come to life. There was something kneeling in front of the ancient table, but every time she looked at it, she looked straight through it. It was there but her eyes just wouldn't focus on it. It was a ghost, or maybe a memory - a crack in time. The figure stood, head bowed. She could hear a voice speaking, some long-since-dead language.  
"Oro, si quis adhuc precibus locus, exue mentum."  
I beg you, if there's still time for entreaties, change your mind. Zoey blinked, the words translating in her mind. The figure became more solid. that face . . .  
"I can't keep doing this. All the evil in the world, in one woman. And Ham - He gave her Darkness if it wanted to stay and it's getting stronger. The False One calls herself Goddess Tsi Sgili now."  
A memory, it had to be, but who was showing it to her and why? Zoey gasped and covered her mouth. The room warmed up, like she was getting a hug from Grandma. Wrapped in a warm blanket by the fire. Mist crawled under the door, forming into the shape of a woman. The woman smiled down at the figure, putting a hand on the figure's shoulder.  
"Neferet will always want, but she does not wield Old Magick. The Redbird does, and she will need all the help she can get."  
"Sgiach, I need to go back to the Isle of Skye," Zoey murmured to herself. "Thank you." She slipped out of the temple, leaving the 'memory' behind. Whether Thanatos liked it or not, Zoey knew what she had to do. Sgiach had been wielding Old Magick for centuries, she'd help Zoey learn to control it just like how Neferet controlled Darkness.

**Aphrodite  
**The vision slammed into her, images flashing through her mind like a slideshow as Aphrodite slumped on the couch. Zoey and Neferet, the Darkness beating against a shimmering shield. The Circle behind Zoey, hands linked. The two bulls with their horns locked, yet not in combat. Aurox - or Heath, whoever he was- on the ground bleeding. Stark with his bow, and Aphrodite herself as part of the Circle. A sapphire blue crescent burned brightly on her forehead.  
And Kalona, clashing swords with a hooded winged figure. A woman. Swords clanging, both with black wings. Darkness wrapping around the woman like armour, moonlight burning within Kalona. Thanatos kneeling over another figure.  
Rephaim . . .  
The woman fighting Kalona threw herself onto his sword, seeming to split body and spirit. A bright light slammed into Neferet just as the Circle finished their spell. Was this really it? Neferet's death?  
". . .I am immortal!" Neferet screamed. Cracks appeared all over her body, then she shattered. Pieces of Darkness dissolved in the air. Zoey collapsed, Stark running to her aide. The woman's body disappeared, her spirit gone.  
"Rephaim!" Stevie Rae screamed, pushing past Thanatos. "Wake up, please Rephaim, wake up."  
"My prophetess?" Darius spoke. Aphrodite blinked and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her, her head tucked into his chest. "Are you okay?"

**Wren**  
_"No mortal male could be your equal because you deserve to be mated to a god. Those were the first words he whispered to me, and look at me now. I am a Goddess, and he is a mortal. His spirit is damaged, which means he can be killed."_  
Neferet's words echoed in her mind. She knelt in the courtyard, rain sprinkled down around her. The presence of Old Magick sent chills down her spine. Students walked past, headed for various classes. Warriors stood guard, as if the False One were about to jump out and attack them.  
Well, maybe she would. Wren had shed her physical form, hands sunk into the ground. There'd been so many deaths, and so much power left behind. Thanatos had described Old Magick as 'energy at its most basic level . . . creation and destruction at once.' And the High Priestess was right.  
"Little Bird?" She watched the grass turn black, smoke rising from the ground. Fetid air washed over her, sending a shiver down her non-existent spine. "What are you doing?" Wren stood up, standing next to the White Bull. He snorted, pawing the ground. His horns stretched high to the sky. "There is Old Magick here."  
"This is where Shekinah died, and Dallas . . . I can hear it calling."  
"Neferet plans to betray me, yes?" the Bull growled.  
"She wants me to betray you as well."  
His horn pressed against her chest, the lingering threat of permanent death. The White Bull pawed the ground, the ground beginning to crack and shake as if it were screaming. "Nothing surprises me anymore with the heartless one . . . but seducing the fallen immortal. Making him believe you are A-ya . . . Thanatos has invoked the ancient laws and with that comes Old Magick."  
I know, she stared at the ground. I can feel it. She closed her eyes, her whole body tingled as she drew on the power that sung from beneath her. "No one can see us right?"  
"We are unseen, even by Kalona's eyes."  
"What am I?"  
He snorted, staring at his reflection in the slick mud. "I do not know."  
"What do you mean 'I don't know'?" she seethed. Ham knew everything! If something was worth knowing, he knew it. Anger boiled up inside her, the Darkness wrapping around her clenched fists. Cold power clung to her, calming her. "You know everything there is to know."  
"You could be a spirit, or a manifestation of Old Magick. It would explain why you feel the Seer Stone calling to you. Why you cannot sit still for extended periods of -"  
She grabbed onto his horns and swung herself onto his back. Wren closed her eyes, resting her head on his neck. She needed to get out of there, being on such powerful ground . . . It was like being on the event horizon of a black hole. She could feel the heat build up inside her. She remembered seeing the burn on Zoey's hand. A perfect circle. The Seer Stone. Now all she had to do was find it.  
"Little Bird?" the white bull tilted his head.

Silence. Wren blinked, where was she? A second ago she'd been sitting on Ham's back, and now . . . A chandelier hung over her head. Ugh, what was that smell? It was horrible. Flowers and something else. There was a wooden table a few feet away with a statue on it. The heat hummed more violently in her chest. She could hear a voice, carried on the wind from somewhere. A presence lingered somewhere inside the room.  
"Hello, my daughter."  
Oh hell no. Wren stared up at the woman kneeling over her, the woman's hand on her forehead. A burning sensation spread down her face, searing pain causing her body to convulse violently. The convulsions stopped and Wren scrambled across the room, throwing herself at the wooden door. It turned to stone the second she touched it. "Let me out!" she pounded the stone, crying out in pain. "What did you - what do you want? Your kind always want something! Erebus wants Kalona dead, Kalona wants your love and Neferet wants your job."  
"He cannot hear you, nor will he yet. I have given you a body dear child. One of flesh and blood, not blood and Darkness."  
Wrong. All of it was wrong. Wren shivered, pressing her face and hands to the stone. "Ham. . ."  
"Zoey and Kalona are on two paths in the same direction, and you will affect both. You already have when you spoke to Zoey at the -"  
"I know. I spoke to her, I lied to Kalona, I'm allied with Darkness. I like Chaos. What did you think I would do?"  
Nyx smiled, walking towards the fledgling. "You have a fledgling's body, and a Mark. When this is over, if you wish, I will tell you what you truly are."  
"And then?"  
"You can come home if you wish, or become a vampyre. Spend the next millenia or two here, and then die. You will move onto the Otherworld and be at peace."  
"No, I'll stay with Ham. I'm not going to the Otherworld! Never!"  
The door creaked under Wren's weight. She turned, the door had become wooden again. Wren flinched, specks of blood on her hands. A body. She was trapped in a meatsuit, permanently. Wren looked down at her bare feet, the stone floor was cold. She could smell the rain outside, hear voices as students moved to their next class. Wren twisted the handle and stepped out into the open space. No one took a second glance at her, except for one of the blue fledglings. The girl stared at Wren for a moment too long and then kept walking. Wren blinked, confused. The black dress went to her ankles, the silver pattern of Nyx cupping a crescent moon embroidered on the dress.  
Cold. She shivered, rubbing her hands together. She walked along the path towards the dining hall. Wren didn't understand how she knew which way to go, it was like Nyx had given her some internal map.  
"Fledgling, why are your - "  
Kalona blinked. The blue fledgling slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him. "Where are your shoes?" He tilted his head. "What is your -"  
Two blue horns stretched down her forehead and stopped level with her eyes. Kalona studied her and the Mark on her forehead, circling her twice. No, it couldn't be . . . "A-ya?"  
"I'm not A-ya, even you should've known that. Her soul is Zoey's soul. I don't know what I am."  
"Why did you deceive me?"  
"Why aren't you angry?"  
"I am, and curious. If you are a fledgling, then I am oath-bound to protect you."  
"I was with Ham, then suddenly I was on the floor in the Temple."  
"Nyx? Did you see her?"  
"As beautiful as always, and confusing. She said I could come home, not go home."  
Wren had learned early on that what words you said and what you said meant more than how you said them. She reached up, her fingers brushing against Kalona's feathers. They were as black as his heart, a true ancient warrior. Soft as silk on the outside and diamond on the inside. Unbreakable, yet he had broken. Sword down his back, muscles straining against his skin. Sweat on his brow. Wrong. A sliver of Darkness cut into her foot, drawing blood. What she was feeling was wrong, it was what had made Kalona weak. Susceptible to Neferet. What made all mortals weak, even the False One. Wren looked around, wrapping her arms around herself.  
"I think I need . . ."  
"Clothes, and hot chocolate," Kalona said immediately.  
"What is hot chocolate?"  
"It's delicious." He smiled. Ever since he'd stepped foot in Nyx's temple that night . . . Everything had changed. "It tastes like - Well, you'll have to taste it. This is all new for you."  
She sprinted, straight to Dallas' execution site. She still had Darkness, and her whole body burned when she felt the Old Magick. She knelt, pressing her hand against the scorched grass from where Ham had been just moments before. The sliver of Darkness cut into her foot again, blood dripping onto the grass. "I summon the White Bull of Old Magick, I will pay the price."  
"That a fledgling is powerful enough -" He appeared in an explosion of foul air and cold, his coat gleaming in the moonlight. The White Bull stood over her, his horns on either side of her head. "Let me see your face."  
She shook her head.  
"Your face!" His voice made her body tremble in excitement. She lifted her head, staring straight at him. The Bull took a step back, as if shocked. Wren collapsed against one of his horns, her chest jerking with silent sobs.  
"She put me in this meatsack, gave me an ultimatum. I hate her! Why does she interfere? Why can't she just stay away, do what she's meant to do and stay out of it? She said I can come home, not go home. What does that even mean? It'd suggest I'm from the Otherworld, but that's impossible."

Shaylin watched in silence, standing near the wall. The White Bull had just . . . Oh Goddess. The fledgling had just summoned Darkness himself. The girl's colours were twisted. Black, with bolts of red and purple lightning. At the center, a swirl had begun to form.


End file.
